


Put a Line Through It

by ProphecyGirl



Category: The 100 (TV), clexa - Fandom
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - No betrayal, Butterfly Effect, Dry Humping, Episode: s02e12 Rubicon, Episode: s02e15 Blood Must Have Blood Part I, Episode: s02e16 Blood Must Have Blood Part II, Eventual Smut, F/F, Post-Episode: s02e12 Rubicon, Post-Mount Weather, Wanheda Clarke Griffin, gratuitous use of halsey lyrics, i'm here to help, lexa being weak and thirsty for clarke, minor world building
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-14
Updated: 2020-11-14
Packaged: 2021-03-10 00:55:17
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,969
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27555685
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ProphecyGirl/pseuds/ProphecyGirl
Summary: After Clarke and Lexa face the bombing of TonDC and the Battle of the Mountain as allies, Clarke makes Lexa an offer she's too gay to refuse: run away together.Heda was sturdy and strong; stealth in foot and word, and the finest warrior to come out of Trikru in two generations. She was cunning and sly, and she wore the same expression of unquestionable leadership no matter what she was doing. Whether she was kicking someone off Polis Tower to send a message—which did not happen as often as Titus liked to say, thank you very much—or asking a beautiful woman to take a walk in the woods with her to secretly avoid being killed by a missile.
Relationships: Clarke Griffin & Lexa, Clarke Griffin/Lexa
Comments: 3
Kudos: 33





	Put a Line Through It

Have our friends and know our enemies

And baby, you know I just wanna leave tonight

We can go anywhere we want

Just take my hand and come with me

We can do anything if we put our minds to it

Take your whole life then you put a line through it

My love is yours if you're willing to take it

Give me your heart 'cause I ain't gonna break it

So come away, starting today

Start a new life, together in a different place

We know that love is how these ideas came to be

So baby, run away with me

\- Halsey & Khalid, "Eastside"

Clarke stopped and turned back over her shoulder when she realized Lexa was no longer in step with her.

"Go on ahead," she waved Lincoln off. He glanced to his Commander, who had stopped several paces behind them and turned back to face the smoldering crater of TonDC. Grateful to be dismissed, ostensibly to go find Octavia— _Octavia_ , Clarke thought with a sharp pain in her chest—Lincoln nodded before heading quickly and gracefully down the hillside.

"Where is Lincoln going?" Lexa was all business, all leadership, all Commander again. Her narrow shoulders were squared, her sharp jaw set and jutting just slightly. Were it not for the telltale wet smudge of wet knuckle through dirt on her cheek, Clarke wouldn’t have even been able to tell she’d been crying.

Well, _crying_ was a bit of an exaggeration; she’d certainly let a tear or two slide down her porcelain cheek, though, and quickly attempted to wipe it away.

"To look for Octavia." Clarke stepped a bit closer to the Commander, swallowing hard. "I’m sorry about TonDC, Lexa."

"I am sorry for your people there, as well, Clarke." Lexa cleared her throat, starting to walk again, but finding her way blocked by Clarke’s understanding baby blues.

"I meant because it’s your home. Isn’t it?" Clarke asked softly, her pained eyes searching Lexa’sintently.

Lexa swallowed hard. "Uh.. It was, before Polis, yes. But it is.. Just a place, Clarke. Just a place."

"Hm," Clarke hummed, finally lowering her gaze and letting Lexa past. She fell into step with the Commander once more, continuing. "Places matter, though. Where we are, where we go. It matters."

"Perhaps," Lexa allowed, but she didn’t comment further. 

The Commander hadn’t ever exactly been a chatterbox, but her stony silence as they fought their way through the overgrown forest was out of character, even for the normally laconic woman.That thought gave Clarke pause, and she stopped once more, gazing back at the wide swath of smoke hanging in the sky as something occurred to her.

"Lexa?" she asked, her voice suddenly growing thick. Lexa paused, her eyes fluttering briefly shut as she did, as though she expected from Clarke precisely what came next. "You.. you knew, didn't you? About the missile? You knew, and that's why you asked me to take a walk, isn’t it? Oh my god, Lexa."

Lexa didn’t dare breathe, but she had no choice but to look into Clarke’s face. She knew there would be only disappointment there; anger, or perhaps even fear. Fear of Lexa’s own ruthlessness, of her utter selfishness. Fear of _Heda_.

Lexa knew that feeling well, after all. _Heda_ had been the monster beneath her bed since the day she was born with the Blood of the Commander.

_Heda_ was sturdy and strong; stealth in foot and word, and the finest warrior to come out of _Trikru_ in two generations. She was cunning and sly, and she wore the same expression of unquestionable leadership no matter what she was doing. Whether she was kicking someone off Polis Tower to send a message—which did not happen as often as Titus liked to say, thank you very much—or asking a beautiful woman to take a walk in the woods with her to secretly avoid being killed by a missile.

Lexa was comparatively less impressive, and unfortunately, it was Lexa who locked eyes with Clarke; not _Heda_. When she did, it was with shame, and concern, and yes, even fear; fear that _Klark kom Skaikru_ would despise her. Still, she’d done the right thing. Clarke would be alive **to** despise her, and that, she decided, would be her argument.

Clarke had remained silent, her eyes projecting only concern at the moment, as Lexa’s mind spun wildly for far too long, like the _spinastorms_ in the deserts of _Sangedakru_. It was past awkward, and yet Clarke patiently awaited a response that involved more than merely the guilt plastered across Lexa’s face.

[Dirt devils]

"Yes," Lexa finally managed to squeeze from her constricted throat. "I knew. Scouts found one of their men in the hills. He’d given them coordinates already, and—"

"And if you evacuated, it could have exposed Bellamy. Blown our plan for the mountain," Clarke finished quietly, her expression betraying nothing further.

"Yes."

"And you didn’t tell me, because you thought I would blab?"

Lexa frowned. "I did not tell you, because I knew you would know, as I did, that it must be allowed to happen."

Clarke got a funny look on her face then. Clarke studied her quietly; intently. Curiously.

Lexa braced internally, but when Clarke spoke again, all she said was, "Okay."

Lexa frowned. "Okay?"

Clarke nodded, pulling a leaf off a nearby branch and toying with it. "Okay."

"I—I am sorry, Clarke. I don’t.. Know what that means. Not in this conversation," she added, looking almost pained.

"It means—just. Okay. I don’t know how I feel about it yet, and I can’t.. Really think about that right now, either. And it.. It’s just a lot right now. So I’m saying.. Okay. You knew, and you.. Didn’t tell me, so I wouldn’t have to feel guilty. You also saved me, by asking me to take a walk, which I just thought meant you liked me—"

"I do," Lexa blurted, far too quickly and just slightly too loudly. Clarke’s head snapped up at that, her brows rising to meet along the center of her forehead.

"I do like you, Clarke," she corrected herself, her voice suddenly impossibly soft.

Clarke swallowed thickly, taking a step closer to her, and then another, so their shadows crossed in the lowering sunlight. "Did you know my mother was on her way here, too?"

Lexa hadn’t expected that response, and her cheeks flushed once her confusion about the seeming change of subject settled. "Ah, I think one of my scouts did say something about a _Skaikru_ delegation spotted on the pathway. Why?"

"They should have been here already. You sent someone to stop them." The way Clarke said it, it wasn’t a question, so Lexa didn’t reply. "You saved my mother’s life, too. Like you saved mine."

Lexa merely looked away from her. "We should move. Night falls quickly now, and we have much to do before we can rest."

"Wait," Clarke called, and Lexa paused midstep and set her boot back onto the ground. As she turned to face Clarke, boot lifted off the ground once more; the Skygirl had wrapped her arms around the back of Lexa’s neck and begun kissing her like she was the only person on the planet.

Lexa let out a muffled cry of surprise, but quickly responded despite the lingering shock.

Clarke kissed her slowly, but deeply and sensually. She parted her lips only slightly, inviting Lexa to come over, asking her if she wanted to play in not quite so many words.

And oh, but yes. Lexa _definitely_ wanted to play.

She flicked her tongue out, testing the tip of it against Clarke’s slightly chapped lips. They tasted like mint and absolution, and when Clarke’s tongue playfully poked back at her, she took it as an invitation to continue exploring. Lexa stepped closer, her hands fluttering briefly at several points along Clarke’s body before deciding to settle lightly on her hips.

Clarke unabashedly leaned into Lexa, pressing the length of their bodies together, and Lexa’s knees quivered, her thighs tensing in restraint against the urge to press them together—or better yet, wrap them around Clarke’s.

Lexa hadn’t _needed_ like this in years; not since Costia. Not since she’d vowed to never allow love to be her weakness again. That was a personal quest that was going quite well.

Clearly.

Clarke’s thigh brushed against her own then, as if she’d heard Lexa’s lecherous thoughts and was seeking permission to grant her wishes. Unsure if she was reading the situation correctly—and, admittedly, distracted by the way Clarke was now gripping the back of her head, her fingers tangled in her loose curls like she was claiming Lexa.

Lexa increased the distance between her thighs, just a little bit.

An invitation, rather than a request or demand. It was more subtle, but that was okay; truly, the kiss alone was already more than Lexa would have ever hoped for. Anything more was the extra spice on a cup of honey mead, as far as she was concerned. 

Clarke’s tongue swiped experimentally along the inside of Lexa’s plush lower lip, and Lexa was so distracted by the new and delicious sensation that it took her a moment to realize Clarke had slotted her thigh firmly between Lexa’s.

Her brain was operating on a delay, it would seem, and she let out a deep, guttural moan when she felt the firm muscle of Clarke’s leg pressing exactly where she wanted it, and yet way too far away at the same time.

Just when Lexa thought she might have actually died and was merely having a pleasant afterlife, Clarke slowly pulled back, both lip and leg.

"Hm," she said, a coy little smile playing beneath blue eyes. "Interesting."

"What is?" Lexa asked dumbly, blinking her love-drunk eyes slowly.

"You are," Clarke whispered, her forefinger gently curling knuckle first underneath her chin. She held Lexa’s gaze with that increasingly magnetic way of hers, and added solemnly, "Thank you. For saving my mom, and me. And for bearing it, so I didn’t have to."

Lexa swallowed hard, her tongue suddenly impossibly thick in her dry mouth as her dream slowly dissipated to make way for their reality: a post-missile attack TonDC with who knew how many people dead, injured, or missing; the increasingly worrying wait for Bellamy’s signal; and of course, the upcoming war on the Mountain and covert operation to rescue their people. It all came flooding in once more, and Clarke watched with a sympathetic and knowing gaze as Lexa visibly shrank beneath the weight settling back onto her shoulders.

"It’s okay. Come on. Let’s go help." Clarke offered her hand to Lexa, who took a breath.

And "Okay," was all she said, half of her still struck starblind by the girl from the sky.

♾

Clarke’s hand rested over Lexa’s gently, her concerned eyes searching Lexa’s.

"I’m the Commander," Lexa said quietly, so not even Monty or Bellamy could hear. Only Clarke; never mind that she didn’t much feel that way at the moment, thinking of the long line of small Mount Weather children holding hands on their way to class that Clarke had spoken of in a particularly low moment.

"I don’t care," Clarke replied, even more quietly; and Lexa knew deep down inside herself that it was true. That Clarke was probably the only person on the entire planet that genuinely didn’t care that she was the Commander.

Clarke’s hand tightened around hers on the cold, metal lever as she continued, "This time, we bear it together."

Lexa swallowed back the thought of the children, of Maya, of TonDC—she put it all deep inside herself, and she focused on Clarke’s watery blue gaze of understanding as she replied, "Together."

And together, they gave it a firm, decisive pull.

♾

They hadn’t left the control room.

Everyone else had dissipated, thankfully. Still, every so often, the faint but devastating sounds of Jasper’s wails filtered through the metal walls, causing both of them to cringe repeatedly.

"What will you do now?" Lexa asked quietly, after a very long time.

Clarke shook her head, taking a sip from the bottle of alcohol she’d found in one of the desks before handing it back to Lexa. "I don’t know. I—I don’t think I can go back there, back to Camp Jaha. Not after this."

Lexa took another drink as well, looking at her thoughtfully. "You should come with me, back to the capital. Polis will change the way you think about us."

Clarke slowly lifted her eyes to meet hers, her voice soft. "You already have."

Lexa gave her a small smile, unable to resist her natural charm even considering.

"But I don’t know if I can do that either," Clarke admitted, picking at her cuticle. "Same problem. I think maybe I’m just someone who can’t be around other people. Seeing them, being reminded constantly of what we had to do here.."

Lexa bit her lower lip. She understood how Clarke felt, certainly, but she couldn’t pretend she wasn’t disappointed. She’d been comforting herself since they’d pulled the lever, with daydreams of showing Clarke the brilliant view from Polis Tower and introducing her to the marketplace. A candlelit dinner by Polis’ finest cook, certainly. Perhaps she’d even order the border braziers lit, and time it for when she brought Clarke out on the balcony of her throne room.

"Okay," was all she replied.

Clarke didn’t hesitate. "You’re the only one who understands me now."

Lexa’s eyes flashed quickly back to meet hers. That wasn’t quite the response she’d anticipated.

"Come with me," Clarke implored, her eyes growing wide and pleading. She scooted forward on her knees, taking one of Lexa’s hands in both of hers.

"What?" Lexa shook her head in disbelief, not quite comprehending what it was Clarke was saying.

Clarke lowered herself fully on the ground, the edges of her knees touching Lexa’s folded legs. "They’re safe now. We made sure of that. There’s nobody here, we could just leave. Grab some supplies and go."

"You want to run away?" Lexa asked, her brow furrowing tightly. "I—I can’t, Clarke. As nice as it sounds, I’m _Heda_."

"They can get a new _Heda_."

"It does not exactly work like that, Clarke," Lexa chuffed softly, looking at her lap and seemingly addressing primarily herself. Her brows lifted slightly as she considered, "Though, I suppose it could."

"If they have no Commander, they’ll have to figure something else out," Clarke shrugged. "Same with _Skaikru_. They'll be fine without us."

"Do you truly mean that, Clarke?" Lexa gave her a sidelong glance, taking another, far longer drink from the bottle before handing it back. "You won’t feel bad for leaving?"

"I'm sure I will. But I don’t think it’ll be as bad as if I stay and have to be reminded constantly." Clarke took a long swig as well, then let out a muted belch as she pressed a fist into her chest. "I wonder if this is all the booze in here."

Lexa worked her lip between her teeth, disappearing inside her own mind. It was, admittedly, fairly fuzzy from the bottle, but her memory of Costia begging her to run away together was clear as daylight. She’d had a run in with _Azgeda_ that had scared her; given her nightmares she’d been convinced were visions. She saw death and destruction, and she begged Lexa to run with her.

They had cried together, because they’d both known Lexa didn’t have it in her to do such a thing.

That had been only weeks before she’d climbed into bed and rolled over to find herself face to face with what remained of Costia, thanks to the Ice Queen. If they’d left when Costia wanted to, she might still be alive.

After a moment, Clarke said quietly, "I have to go. Come with me, Lexa."

Lexa thought of Jasper’s rage, and how it would likely be primarily directed at Clarke. He was a clear threat. She thought of how Nia and _Azgeda_ would react to what had happened at the mountain this day—anyone in a five mile range of Lexa was in danger from that perspective. She thought of what Nia, or someone else who held grievance against the Commander, might do if they knew Clarke meant something to her; something more than an alliance.

She could turn her back; let Clarke go off into the forest, and try to forget her. That was what she _should_ do. It was the smart, responsible, Commander-y thing to do. It would keep Clarke safe, and no one would ever know she was special. It was what Lexa needed to do, and perhaps most importantly, it was what Titus would tell her to do.

Titus. He’d raised her himself, as was customary after the Fleimkepa accepted or took by force the latest crop of _natblidas_. But she’d always been his favorite—which was less customary, and quite frowned upon. Titus would be absolutely devastated to know she’d even entertained a brief fantasy of running away.He’d been against this alliance with _Skaikru_ from the start, nearly as much as Gustus had, and he was the one who had told her time and time again that love was weakness.

Truthfully, however, she was a little sick of listening to Titus. Truthfully, she wished she’d loved Costia harder while she’d been able to. Maybe love wasn’t weakness at all; maybe it took strength to turn your back on what you knew and take a chance on someone who could let you down.

Lexa didn’t really know how to feel about it, and she couldn’t really think about it much at the moment, either. It was a lot for her just then.

So she said simply, "Okay."


End file.
